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Types of Detoxification

When I think about detoxifying my body, I simply think about getting out the “bad” in my body to make room for the “good.” But, does detoxing your body really do any good for it? We will find out in this article.

There are various types of detoxification, and they can be good for your body. In this article, I will talk about detoxification in general the 5 most popular forms of detoxification.

What are 5 Popular Types of Detoxification?

1) Juice Cleansing
A popular way of cleansing the body is going on a juice diet. There are pros and cons to this. A pro is that you’re putting nutritious fruits and vegetables in your body. There are many benefits to drinking raw, unpasteurized juice. When you go to the grocery store, you’ll see an aisle full of pasteurized juices. In my opinion, these juices are depleted of the real nutrients they once contained. For example, unpasteurized carrot juice contains more concentrated nutrients than the carrots themselves. This is because you are consuming more carrots at a time than if you munched on them. Sounds crazy, right? A con of juicing is that juices are low in protein and contain no fiber. One tip is to add some protein powder to your juice to help with your protein intake. Also, solid foods are important to the body, so you shouldn’t do a juice cleanse indefinitely. Try it every now and then to detox the body.

2) Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is a process used in Ayurveda medicine and involves using oil, such as coconut oil, and swishing it around in your mouth. Oil pulling can help with things such as gum disease and bad breath. Dr. Vagish Kumar L. Shanbhag has written many studies and reviews on oral health, and he is in the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology at Yenepoya College. According to a review by Shanbhag, in ancient India, oil pulling is said to cure more than 30 diseases. Also, “oil pulling is believed to help in the excretion of toxic heavy metals by saliva” (Shanbhag).

3) Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting, when done correctly, can have benefits for weight loss. In intermittent fasting, you choose 8 hours to eat, and do not eat the next 16 hours. With this type of fasting, it takes a few weeks for your body to get used to the times you eat. You can be creative and think about when the best time for you to eat is. I know I love snacking at night, so I would eat most likely eat from 12 pm-8 pm, so I would stay satisfied.
There are some risk factors with any kind of fasting. Make sure you are eating healthy during the fasting times, and don’t binge eat during the evening time. Also, if you are recovering from an eating disorder, it would be smart not to try fasting for a while.

4) Sauna Therapy
The sauna is a great place to detox because it helps release the sweat from the body. In fact, a 2015 study was completed in Finland where they followed 2,315 middle-aged men for 30 years, and at the end of the 30 years, these men were shown to have a decrease in cardiovascular disease (UW Health). Wow! The sauna also can relax you, and it’s easy to meditate in an enclosed space, at least for me as an introvert.
If you decide to detox by sauna, make sure you don’t stay in too long. 15 minutes is plenty of time to let the sweat out, and make sure you drink plenty of water afterwards.

So, Is Detoxing Helpful?
Some studies have been done to show the usefulness of detoxing the body, but it’s hard to say whether it actually has lasting health benefits. Some of the detox practices I talked about have temporary benefits on the body, but if you have a clear mind and practice mindfulness, then they can have lasting effects on the mind.